Do I need to remove the baseboards before putting down new laminate flooring?

Not necessarily. You run your laminate just shy of the baseboard and add a 1/4" round on top to cover any space

When installing laminate flooring, it's usually best to remove the baseboards (also known as skirting boards) to achieve a professional-looking finish and avoid gaps between the flooring and the wall. Here's why: 1. Cleaner installation: Removing baseboards allows you to install the laminate flooring closer to the wall, creating a neater look. 2. Expansion gap: Laminate flooring needs an expansion gap around the perimeter. Removing baseboards makes it easier to maintain this gap and cover it later. As for damaging the baseboards: • Risk of damage: Yes, there's a risk of damaging baseboards if you remove them, especially if they're old or fragile. Prying them off can cause them to break or the paint to chip. • Tips to minimize damage: • Use a pram or flat tool to gently pry the baseboards away from the wall. • Work slowly and carefully. • Label each piece as you remove it to make reinstallation easier. Alternatively, you can install laminate flooring without removing baseboards, but you'll need to trim the flooring to fit around them, which can be trickier.

When installing new laminate flooring, it's generally advisable to remove the existing baseboards before proceeding with the installation. Here’s why: 1. Proper Expansion Gap: Laminate flooring requires an expansion gap (typically 1/4 inch) around the perimeter to allow for natural expansion and contraction with changes in temperature and humidity. Removing the baseboards facilitates achieving this gap and ensures a clean, professional finish without visible edges. 2. Aesthetic Finish: Installing laminate flooring beneath baseboards creates a seamless appearance. This approach prevents the need for quarter-round or shoe molding and reduces the likelihood of gaps or uneven floor lines that can occur if the baseboards are left in place. 3. Ease of Installation: Without baseboards, you can more easily manage the laminate’s installation, making it simpler to lay down the floor properly and adjust as necessary. Regarding the potential for damage when removing baseboards, there is indeed a chance that they may be damaged during the removal process, particularly if they are fixed with nails or adhesive. However, with careful removal techniques—such as using a putty knife to gently loosen the baseboard from the wall and providing consistent support along its length—you can minimize the risk of damage. Additionally, if the baseboards are in good condition, they can often be reused after removal, provided you take care during the process. If you're uncertain about the condition of the baseboards or your ability to remove them without damage, consider consulting a professional to evaluate the situation and assist you with the installation.

You can do this 2 ways. Leave the baseboard on and install quarter round or cove molding after. Or you take the baseboard off keep in mind to run a knife on the top between the baseboard and the wall so you don’t make anymore work for yourself by ripping the paint off the wall.

It all depends on how you want it to look and what you have on for baseboards, because some materials are very flimsy , and you might not want to mess around with MDF or other soft materials, they can crack and break much easier. I like this clean look myself so would rather have baseboard off, but not always necessary and you'll need to be more exact with your cuts. And if it doesn't look the way you would like it to look , you can always buy moldings for that type of finishing. Wallpaper or vinyl are similar installs.

It’s not necessary. You should leave a 1/4” expansion gap around the perimeter of the floor where it meets the walls. After that, install quarter round (or base shoe) to properly cover the gap.

First off, all the responses given by my fellow contractors are accurate and helpful. Especially, the fact that any doors swinging over the new flooring installed overtop the pre-existing floor, will likely need to be trimmed down. I would like to add some insight to your question by bringing a few details to your attention.. 1. The height of your current baseboard should be taken into account - you will lose some of that height once the new flooring butts up to it. ie. say your new flooring is 12mm thick, you will lose about a half inch of your existing baseboard height once you take underlayment into account. So if your baseboards are only 3” or 4” tall, they will then sit shorter in relation to the new floor, standing about a half inch less tall once your new flooring eats up some of that height. Not to mention, keeping the existing baseboards will require shoe-mould (base-shoe), which will also decrease the height appearance of your baseboards. 2. Aesthetics - if you dislike the look of shoe-mould or quarter-round, you will have to remove the baseboards to allow the new flooring to run closer to the wall while still allowing room for the expansion gap. This gap, will then be covered by the baseboard without the need of a shoe-mould or quarter-round trim added to the finished baseboards. 3. Future baseboard plans - if you intend to replace the baseboards in the nearby future after installing your flooring, the labour cost to replace will likely increase versus if you were to do it now. As it will be more labour intensive to remove your existing baseboards once you have flooring and shoe-mould butted up against them, vs your baseboards sitting on your flooring, making it more challenging to remove with the added obstacle/pressure from the new flooring and trim. New baseboards will of course need to be caulked, holes filled, and painted, adding some labour cost. 4. Possibility of damaging baseboards - yes, there is a high possibility you may damage the existing baseboards in the process of removing. They may be glued in addition to being nailed, which can make it more challenging to remove into perfectly intact pieces. There are tools that can help remove them and minimize the chance of damages, but the risk is always there. 5. Possibility of damaging walls - if you decide to remove the baseboards, keep in mind that there is always a good chance your drywall or wall paint can be damaged throughout that process. Again, tools exist to minimize this chance but this is still a factor to consider. Typically, people tend to go with slightly taller baseboards than existing, which helps with covering any minor drywall deficiencies above the old baseboards, left behind in the process of removing. If the caulking between the drywall and existing baseboards are scored / cut, deep enough, the likeliness of peeling paint or damaging drywall is highly minimized 6. Cost factor and bottom line - if your existing baseboards aren’t too short, and you are looking for the most cost effective solution, leave the baseboards, install the new flooring as per manufacturer’s specifications, leaving the necessary gaps between flooring and baseboards for expansion, then install shoe-mould or quarter-round that is thick enough to cover the necessary expansion gap. Best regards, Bryan

Yes.

Although not necessary, it is advisable as it prevents smaller errors in installation from showing, as it can essentially 'hide' them under the width of the baseboard. In addition to this, if one of the wall's isn't square, the installed flooring will leave a small portion of subfloor uncovered, unless its rectified by covering it with baseboard.

No, you do not need to remove baseboards if you’re using a shoe mould or 1/4 round strike. I work many sub divisions and custom homes and trim is installed before flooring. Unless you are not using shoe mould or 1/4 end then flooring first

You can leave the baseboards and install the Laminate normally if you intend to cover the gaps with quarter round. The baseboard is meant to cover the 1/4” gap. There is always the possibility of damaging your baseboards up removal. If you plan to remove them and put them back I suggest scoring the seem between the Wall and the baseboard and slowly prying along the line, do not pull all on one side at once as your baseboard is most likely nailed and will break with too much force. The proper installation method is to remove the baseboards to prevent the risk of a Gap showing after installation of quarter round, and so the connections of the Laminate are full secure. Bear in mind as well, you will need to cut the bottom of the door if your are looking to fit the Laminate underneath and for it to look seamless, in order to do this lay a plank on-top of the desired subfloor/underlayment and then cut the bottom of the door matching the planks height.

It's better to remove the base boards or after installing the new laminates install new shoe molds to cover end of laminates look

Yes you should for visual finish and if you take base board off carefully it shouldn't break.

You do not need to remove baseboard when laying down new laminate flooring. Worst case scenario after new floor is installed and if you notice gaps between your floor and baseboard, you can install a shoe mold. When removing your baseboard yes there is a chance you can damage it. You need to be very careful when doing so.

You can do both ways . It also depends on the base profile that you already have. A. Removing the base is more expensive. Because you most likely will have to buy new base ,costs for installation plus caulking & painting of the entire walls ( where the base was replaced). If you can afford it, this would give you the best results. B . You may install the new floor without the removal of the existing base but most likely you will need a new shoe-moulding all around where floor meets the base of the baseboard. C. There is also a possibility that you can do without the show moulding only if the previous flooring was thick carpet. A great master & experienced carpenter knows what I'm talking about.

Yes, you can remove the baseboards. It gives a cleaner look and more flexibility but takes extra care needed. If you want a quicker and easier method with lesser risk of breaking, leave them and use quarter-round to cover the expansion gap.

I personally like to remove the base and reinstall. The room is most open at that point. And whether you paint shoe mould or the base again after re-install. You’re still painting. It also might be nice to do a fresh coat of wall paint while the room is open?

You don’t have to remove the baseboards, but it is usually the best option for a cleaner finish. Most installers remove them so the laminate can expand properly and the baseboards can cover the expansion gap. If you leave them on, you’ll typically need to add quarter round or shoe moulding to hide the gap. There is a small chance of damaging the baseboards when removing them, but with careful removal using a pry bar and utility knife, they can usually be taken off and reinstalled without issues.

Depends on how you’d like to finish your trim. You can run it up to the edge of the existing baseboard leaving the 1/4” expansion gap. After that, you can install quarter round or moulding to cover the gap. I find many clients prefer not to use quarter round as it’s slowly losing its appeal/aesthetic.